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I just ordered a Windows 8 phone through Verizon which should be here in a few days. Since I've already ordered it, I'm only asking if anyone else has once, and what their experiences are with a Windows Phone. I knew someone who had a Windows 7 phone a while back, and was pretty impressed, which 8 should hopefully be even better. I'm not a fan of windows 8 for the pc, but the tiles make sense for devices which have limited screen space.

I have an HTC 8X and I love it... I'm not a phone gaming guy that much but YouTube videos look awesome and the camera is much better than WP7. I'm going to replace my HTC Radar with a Nokia 521...

Had Lumia 920. Very bad experience - the OS is extremely limited (still no proper notification center, and NO, the Tetris tiles are NOT proper replacement for it), so are built-in apps like horrible stock mail client or built-in IE with the garbage Trident engine (your ONLY real choice) which has worse support (by various websites) than all of the WebKit-based mobile browsers. No useful voice control like Apple's Siri or Google Now. Don't even get me started on lack of useful (for me) apps (yes, MS is slowly improving, the latest Beta version of FB client is half-decent, but still not there, same for many other apps), games or horrible battery issues (I went through 3 refurb units, all of them had extremely inconsistent battery life, I just gave up but there's very entertaining thread here) or issues with "Live Tiles" and App Store notifications (they may stop updating at random times - there are various solutions to get them going again but they may not work for everyone) or a very poor desktop syncing client and built-in backup feature or Nokia's own limited apps for WP8 OS or Nokia's garbage firmware "experiments" such as horrible 1308 version with the randomly jumping or completely disappearing cellular signal strength (was fixed several days later in 1314).

TL;DR version: the WP8 mobile platform and the garbage company called "Nokia" did not satisfy my needs (and I believe same is for majority of other smartphone users), I stopped using it and went with new HTC One which gave me a MUCH better user experience with significantly better OS customizations, more useful apps (currently have about 67 installed apps/games) including stock ones (stock browser lets me use Flash which is still useful on many sites, stock e-mail is much more customizable and allows me to keep my e-mails from POP3 account even after they were deleted on server), better display quality, slightly worse camera quality, better physical build quality (no creaky plastic or dust getting under front camera lens), better speaker quality and significantly better battery life. I keep my iPhone 4S as a useful spare device.

I'm still using my Windows 7 phone and I couldn't be happier. It's been rock solid and the two times it crashed on me where more due to a hardware issue. Battery has been excellent.

I love the Metro, sorry Modern UI and it makes sense on the phone (desktop? There's a reason I'm still on Windows 7...).

I will say there is a lack of apps, but that's not a big issue for me since I've ended up un-installing most of the apps as I never used them. (Funny enough, I pretty much use my phone ONLY for texting and the alarm function). I guess if you care about a million fart apps...

Without a doubt, when I get a new phone it'll be Win8.

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I'm using my HTC Titan 2 Windows 7.5 phone and I love it. I have to wait one more month before I can upgrade with AT&T. I am really hoping Lumia comes out with their rumored 41MP Windows Phone 8 cell, and that AT&T carries it. I'm not an app whore, so there are not too many things I need from Windows Store. Yea, their app store is still playing catchup with the big 2, but that's to be expected coming so late into the game. I have yet to run into people in my daily life that talks to their phone for a search, so whether you absolutely need something like "Siri", or want it "just because Apple/Droid has one" is up to you. Their email program is more than adequate, as is IE. I enjoy their Skydrive integration. Their Zune playlist needs work. The 8MP camera has been more then adequate, but I rarely use it as I have 2 DSLRs and nearly a half dozen point and shoot cameras.

I absolutely loved my Lumia 900. I now love my new 920 as well. The OS is solid, slick and fluid. Bar Instagram, it is has every app that I used to have on iOS before. I would like a notification center though. But I guess that will be coming in the next release.

I have a first-generation LG C900 on WP7.5 for mobile development. I really like the UI, and the architectural aspect of WP app development is very nice (being .NET and all), but Microsoft has made it clear that they do not want people to develop for it so you'll have a hard time finding decent apps. Oh, and jailbreaks are few and far between due to the low market share.

confusedpenguin wrote:

I just ordered a Windows 8 phone through Verizon which should be here in a few days. Since I've already ordered it, I'm only asking if anyone else has once, and what their experiences are with a Windows Phone. I knew someone who had a Windows 7 phone a while back, and was pretty impressed, which 8 should hopefully be even better. I'm not a fan of windows 8 for the pc, but the tiles make sense for devices which have limited screen space.

Hey penguin, I'm thinking of getting one too, so I'll be really interested to know your thoughts when you do get it.

My use case is quite simple: I want a phone that has good battery life, runs smoothly, and have a decent UI. I use a Galaxy Nexus right now, and though it's great and all, I'm getting sick of Android lag. I mean, I know how to fix it (and root it, and flash different ROMs and all that), but I don't want to waste time on my phone. I don't spend much time fiddling with it these days.

I just want a phone that works without hassles.

I just have a few must have apps: Google authenticator (alternate available) & RSA Securid (available). I don't really use too many more apps; Whatsapp, FoxFi (WiFi hotspot), Google Maps (sigh, this will be hard to give up, I think).

That's pretty much it.

If your use case is similar to mine, please do let me know how you fare with the phone. My contract is up for renewal in two weeks

Edit: I'm also on Verizon. What phone are you getting? The Nokia 928?

I just ordered the 928 yesterday to replace my Droid 3. Should be here tomorrow. After playing with it in the store a bit, I'm pretty excited. Excellent screen, excellent camera, and I really like the OS, especially compared to Android 2.3.

NovusBogus wrote:

I have a first-generation LG C900 on WP7.5 for mobile development.

I have the same phone as well (not sure about generation though, didn't know there were generations to this phone). It was my first smart phone (actually, it was my first phone period) and I wanted the physical keyboard to type on as I wasn't sure about this "touch" screen thing. 8 months later I never slide the keyboard out, those keys are an annoyance! Haha.

I really like the size of the phone. I can keep it in my jean pocket and run/jump/play catch and it feels good.

I wanted to get to 7.8 but neither my carrier (Fido in Canada) or LG would update it, so I managed to find an updater on the Internet called "seven-eighter". Link. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing (if this screwed up I'd be screwed as I bought the phone unlocked from a third party, so I had no support through my carrier), but the process went smooth and I'm on 7.8.

And regarding Siri, Windows Phone 7 had voice since 7.5. Works ok, but the whole things seems pretty silly to me. I've yet to see ANYBODY (granted, my anybody is NOT everybody and my sample size is limited to those around me) use Siri or the Android equivalent.

NovusBogus wrote:

Microsoft has made it clear that they do not want people to develop for it so you'll have a hard time finding decent apps

Citation needed.

Sargent Duck wrote:

I've yet to see ANYBODY use Siri or the Android equivalent.

I use Google Now voice search from time to time (not the stupid "how much does the earth weigh?" thing of course). It is especially good that you can just utter "go to [Place]" and I get maps/navigation right away. Of course you have to pronounce the place correctly but of the few times I tried it works for me.

Flying Fox wrote:

Sargent Duck wrote:

I've yet to see ANYBODY use Siri or the Android equivalent.

I use Google Now voice search from time to time (not the stupid "how much does the earth weigh?" thing of course). It is especially good that you can just utter "go to [Place]" and I get maps/navigation right away.

You raise a good point, so I edited my statement to better clarify.

Flying Fox wrote:

Citation needed.

Duly cited, and from a Microsoft MVP and former RT fanboi no less. I'd deconstruct some other aspects of the mobile development ecosystem (indie game, homebrew, etc.) but it's late and that's more of a topic for the dev forum (or R&P if I really get going ); suffice to say that Mr. Developers-developers-developers seems to have gotten amnesia since taking over the company.

Flying Fox wrote:

Of course you have to pronounce the place correctly but of the few times I tried it works for me.

Enabling "personalized recognition" helps with that, although not immediately...

I like WP8, I think it's gotten better over time in terms of speed/smoothness. Particularly the Weave app, a news reader I use when I need to socialize.

Battery life has gotten better on my Nokia Lumia 920, I get through a day and a half without chargins. I usually only check email (100+ emails a day, 100+ checks a day). Sometimes I call my mom, it works even in noisy places because of the background canceling mic.

WP8 actually has most of the apps you might want (in addition to Office, which you might not want). Though I only play Wordament and Monster Island. It was free. No big deal, if you have a pc or xbox, don't waste time on the phone.

I have Skype, but didn't open an account. Maybe some day. OK. I didn't bother with the other messaging apps like Tweeter.

I have SoundHound to identify songs on the radio I plan to pirate. Then I found out the Bing could identify songs too. Swell.

Nokia maps works great, it finds places TomTom can't.

The camera on the 920 is the best. Mostly I take photos of the food I eat in the dark. You'd be surprised how dark it is in all restaurants (even during the day), it's imperative to get a good camera and the 920 is the best without a doubt. Compared to an iPhone, the 920 never has that awful pasty yellow exposure and is sharper.

What I love the most about my Nokia Lumia 920 is that it's HELLO YELLOW. With HOT PINK tiles. I've had people ask me about my color choice. I was stunned. It was nice. Even if they look at me funny, the attention is nice.

The one knock I have against the 920 is its weight. It's made of polycarbonate so doesn't need a shell, but too weighty. Yet I like it better than the HTC 8X because Nokia's maps, music, and camera are by far better and only available on Nokia. I regret not waiting for the 925 which has the Nokia ecosystem and a lightweight aluminum body (but only silver).

Sargent Duck wrote:

And regarding Siri, Windows Phone 7 had voice since 7.5. Works ok, but the whole things seems pretty silly to me. I've yet to see ANYBODY (granted, my anybody is NOT everybody and my sample size is limited to those around me) use Siri or the Android equivalent.

I use Microsoft's TellMe (what they call their dictation software) pretty much all the time on a Samsung Focus v1.3 (has a 32GB microSD card and 7.8 on it ). I make the bulk of my calls on the road and it's really great just to be able to say "Call Home" and have it dial away. Speech-to-text works pretty damn well too but unfortunately censors cursing. I don't know if WP8 has improved on this, but I'd love to be able to use TellMe to play a certain song or open up pinned shortcuts (for example, if I pinned google.com to my home screen).

Overall, I'm kind of an edge case I suppose. My windows phone is a phone first and a toy second. Apps don't really concern me as the most I do on my phone is browse the web and check e-mail. I have probably spent less than $10 on applications and most of those are "productivity" apps (package tracker, remote desktop, etc.). Anyway, I'm really happy with my WP7 device, OP, I hope you get the same satisfaction out of your WP8 device.

moog wrote:

songs I plan to pirate.

That's not cool, man

I have an 8x on Verizon and it's been a generally positive experience, but with a few disappointing downers.

Biggest complaint: Verizon disabled group texting on all WP8 handsets. On identical phones on other providers, there's an option that toggles group texting on or off. Verizon had removed this option. If you are sent a group message, you will receive it as an individual text from the sender. All replies to the group will also appear as individual texts from their senders. There's a rumor that Verizon is going to release an update to fix that this month, but I'm skeptical. It's been an issue since WP8 launch.

Similarly, I believe Verizon has broken WP8 visual voicemail. At least, I don't see any of the screens that this link says I should be seeing. (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/how-t ... -voicemail)

IE does seem pretty flaky. It will hang and freeze from time to time. Also, sometimes it will spin as if it is doing something, but never load the page. Alternative browser options are very limited.

In general, the app ecosystem is pretty limited and what's there is often subpar. If you're an app enthusiast, you will be disappointed.

One thing that's actually WP8 specific and not Verizon's fault that drives me nuts is media playback. WP8 doesn't give you a slider to seek through a song or video with. You have to use back and forward buttons which just jump back or forward a set increment of time.

No complaints about the default email app, I have linked my work inbox (Exchange) and my personal email (Gmail), and it does everything I need it to.

In general the OS is very fluid and smooth, a pleasure to use and to view. But it's the little things that will make or break your experience. If any of the issues I mentioned are dealbreakers, you may want to reconsider your choice.

My first "smart" that I had a win6.5 HTC with a slide out keyboard which I wanted because of its easy integration with Windows Office. Despite the clunky O.S. I loved that phone. It had turn by turn voice directions and I could move items to and from the phone like it was a thumb drive. I could type a quick email on my phone easy enough and any long emails could be typed on my laptop, moved to the phone and emailed. I thought that was great. It was a real work phone for me. I remember on one trip my wife and I were near Roanoke, VA headed north for a job I was doing and I asked her if she wanted to try some Indian food for dinner. I had been to the place before I couldn't remember exactly where it was but I spoke into the phone, "Indian Restaurants, Roanoke" and a couple of clicks later I had driving direction to the spot! It was a great meal and a nice break while on the road.
Then I replaced it with the Samsung Focus Flash, a 7.5 phone... no turn by turn, no moving anything from the computer to the phone or vice versa and it couldn't be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot. The operating system was much better than the 6.5 but who cared! They neutered the phone!
It has been a very dependable phone. I had a IPhone 3gs with the I4 operating system on it and I wasn't blown away. It did some things better, others not so much but I felt like I was boxed in by the operating system (same feeling I have with 7.5 win phone). I haven't had an Android but from what I have seen I think they would be a very good phone.
From what I have seen of the Win8 phones I like. The Lumina 920 is a very nice phone. But I travel for a living, I need my phone to be a Wi-Fi hotspot for my computer, I need turn by turn voice directions. I travel with a laptop and I work out in plants that don't have or allow you access to the internet to do my job. My phone has to be that bridge to the internet in order to do my job. And frankly, the win7.5 failed at that and even took a step backwards from the 6.5 I was using. It really frosted me that every answer that MS had to these issues was the cloud. How the hell are you supposed to access the cloud from your laptop when the only internet access is your phone, which you can't get to from your computer!

LongtimeLurker wrote:

I just want a phone that works without hassles.

Then why don't you have an iPhone?

I mean, there are lots of reasons to choose another phone, but if there's a phone that Just Works without Hassles (and works pretty damn well), then that's the iPhone.

Sargent Duck wrote:

And regarding Siri, Windows Phone 7 had voice since 7.5. Works ok, but the whole things seems pretty silly to me. I've yet to see ANYBODY (granted, my anybody is NOT everybody and my sample size is limited to those around me) use Siri or the Android equivalent.

I use Siri frequently when driving, especially for text messages. I can ask Siri to read them to me, compose, and send a response, all with voice.

I suspect that, like most things Microsoft, they may have had it since 7.5, but did it really work well?

Just got my phone today. From what I can tell, it just works. It runs very smoothly, and is VERY responsive. It is simple, and the OS doesn't seem to get in the way of anything. Notifications pop right up. It just works, simple as that. Rearranging tiles is simple enough, and with a 4G LTE signal, youtube videos load instantly and seem to be in HD. I'm impressed, for sure. All it needs is more apps, although it seems to have all of the apps I need, but a better selection would be nice, as long as the app store doesn't get as cluttered and redundant as droid. I did set up a microsoft outlook email account for convenience. It looks like I could have used my own email I have with my ISP, but just to avoid future hassles, I created an Outlook account. It seems to be a good match for me, and IMO, it looks much prettier and more simple to use than an iPhone. Yes, I just said it!

moog wrote:

I have SoundHound to identify songs on the radio I plan to pirate.

What you should say is "songs on the radio I plan to acquire" and leave it to the reader to fill in the blanks.

Pville_Piper wrote:

turn by turn

Your Lumia 920 should have Here Drive+ that can do turn by turn, no? Nokia Here maps is designed to be offline-able to begin with so you should be good in that department.

Pville_Piper wrote:

no moving anything from the computer to the phone or vice versa

You can blame this on the walled garden thing. Not every file type is recognized and no file manager any time soon. There are workarounds but they are not that nice. This is one of the deal breakers for me that pushes me over to Android.

Pville_Piper wrote:

it couldn't be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot

Blame this on the carriers and the vendors that bend backwards to cater to them. Carriers don't want you to treat them as dumb pipes, and they want to charge you extra for tethering. IIRC by default the carrier-branded WPs/Androids will have the tethering function disabled. Once you add the tethering option and pay the $$, then you can access the feature. So it is there, just that you can't use until you pay more.

Buub wrote:

LongtimeLurker wrote:

I just want a phone that works without hassles.

Then why don't you have an iPhone?

I mean, there are lots of reasons to choose another phone, but if there's a phone that Just Works without Hassles (and works pretty damn well), then that's the iPhone.

I know what you mean; I have a MBP retina, iPad, HP Touchpad, Windows (and Linux) desktop, and an Android phone, so I'm certainly not any kind of fanboi, fandroid, or Windows apologist.

That being said, I'm inclined away from the Iphone because I find the screen a little too small. Also, I'm intrigued by the Windows Phone OS. I don't use too many apps (barely 3-4, all of which are on Windows), so I'm not swayed by the Apple app ecosystem.

And I like tinkering with new phones, but not to the extent that they don't work (which is my beef with Android). Ah well, who knows, I might just get an iPhone.

Flying Fox wrote:

Your Lumia 920 should have Here Drive+ that can do turn by turn, no?

I don't have a Lumia, I just played with one at the store.

Flying Fox wrote:

Not every file type is recognized and no file manager any time soon.

I'm not looking for the phone to recognize everything, just act like a thumb drive in a pinch. But even still, If I want to move an Office file which is recognized I have to use the stupid Sky Drive, which means I have to have internet on both ends of pipe... Not always available to my computer in a remote location. My point was that Win6.5 did this and 7.5 doesn't. Does anybody know if you can move a word document by cable or Bluetooth to the phone?

Flying Fox wrote:

Blame this on the carriers and the vendors that bend backwards to cater to them. Carriers don't want you to treat them as dumb pipes, and they want to charge you extra for tethering. IIRC by default the carrier-branded WPs/Androids will have the tethering function disabled. Once you add the tethering option and pay the $$, then you can access the feature. So it is there, just that you can't use until you pay more.

As I understand it, the tethering is not available in the 7.5 phones and not at all in the Focus Flash.

Ok, question. Both the wall charger and the specified input amps on the back of my HTC 8X phones says 1 amp. I just bought a Duracell 12V usb charger for my car to plug the USB cable into to charge my phone. However, the Duracell charger says it outputs 2 amps. Is this going to damage my phone?

No. The amp rating is a maximum. If your phone doesn't draw 2 amps, it won't supply 2 amps.

I routinely use 2A adapters (Ipad, HP touchpad) to charge my Galaxy nexus and Kindle. Never harmed them yet